1. Field of the Invention.
This invention pertains to cleaning devices, and more particularly to apparatus for washing floors.
2. Description of the Prior Art.
Various products have been developed to assist homemakers and professional housekeeping personnel to clean floors. Such items as brooms and mops are in widespread use. A particularly popular type of mop is the sponge mop, wherein a sponge is fastened to the end of a handle. To remove water from the sponge, it is known to provide the mop with a water wringing mechanism that compresses and squeezes the sponge.
In some sponge mops, the wringing mechanism folds the sponge approximately in half such that the working surface is divided into two parts that bear against each other to squeeze water from the sponge. Examples of such mops can be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,834,974; 2,858,557; 2,864,107; 3,038,188; and 3,224,025.
In the design of U.S. Pat. No. 3,271,804, two sponges are placed on respective adjacent backing plates. In the working mode, the sponges are generally coplanar. The mop includes a mechanism for pivoting one of the backing plates and associated sponge through approximately 180 degrees such that the working surfaces of the two sponges are in contact to squeeze out the water in them.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,205,520 shows a mop structure having a single sponge and a pivot plate. In the working mode, the pivot plate is held away from the sponge. To squeeze water from the sponge, the plate is pivoted to contact the sponge working surface and to compress the sponge.
Despite their general acceptance, prior sponge mops of all types suffer a distinct disadvantage. That disadvantage is that they are not suitable for cleaning within the toespaces that underlie overhanging cupboards, short-legged cabinets, and similar furniture. In all known sponge mops, the various components of the wringing mechanisms are located so as to prevent the sponge from being inserted fully into a toespace before the wringing mechanism strikes the front face of the cupboard. Consequently, any attempt to clean in the toespace is not only futile but also an invitation to scratch or otherwise damage the cupboard or other furniture item.
Thus, a need exists for a sponge mop that is capable of cleaning floor areas under overhanging furniture.